Show Reviews

This show rocks. I loved Bend and wouldn't trade that magic for anything, but Shoreline was pretty damn perfect for a big city big venue show. The Line is not my favorite but it was played with conviction and bravato that had quite a few folks moving before things we down right dirty funky with the Moma. Kill Devil Falls really had some absolutely lovely exchanges between every member of the band. Yarmouth always makes me smile. Undermind had me thinking about all the kids and parents on the back of the lawn trying to have good wholesome fun in the midst of madness up there in the back. What's it mean to be a phish fan? is it something you'd want for your kids? Who are we as a group? Free quickly expelled all those complicated thoughts and by the second half of Reba I could not stop grinning on spinning. Easily one of my favorite Rebas.

I love Blaze On. I replayed it so much at our hotel in Bend my phew companions almost revolted, so I was so glad to see it get the treatment in the opener of the second frame. I love the silly celebratory lyrics. The last 4 minutes of this song where it breaks up into all directions is just beautiful.

Twist is the business. It's got everything, low funk, a breathlessly light section, The part from 12 minutes on reminds me a bit of the Wheel. 12:50 on is triumphant and continues to give me goosebumps this morning.

Light is terrific and will probably get a lot of notice for the very I Know You Rider like jam around 11 minutes. By 13 minutes you can't deny what's going on.

Joy was actually a nice breather and grows on me as a song. I like it a lot better than Shade (though I do love Lamp). It is my song too.

I came in hoping for a Reba and Hood, and I got the Hood I was looking for. Just so perfect.
Cavern and Zero added some wonderful crunch.

Phish is on top of their game. This is a truly golden era in my book but then again last night was only my 40th show since 1992. I've got a long way to go to catch @juliegank, but as last night proves perfectly the band seems to make her pay for ones shes misses. Maybe I'll ask her to skip one each tour just to test the theory.

Go team. Love you guys. Enjoy the monster dance party in LA, I have to get back to writing a Law and Society final.

Set 1: Very crisply played all around, and capped off with a super Reba that @ARigidDesignator has already gone into (not quite sure I agree with him that it's the jam of the night, but de gustibus non est disputandum) that manages to surpass the wonderful Rebas of last year (i.e. Randall's and Chicago) and a blazing 46 Days. Surprisingly short, too (70 minutes, a good 10-15 minutes shorter than your average 3.0 1st set), which may not mean anything...or maybe...?

Set 2: Blaze On starts off the set, a sure sign that the band has plans for this number (at the very least a 2nd set anchor like Fuego, if not a big jam vehicle like, uh, Fuego), and the band wastes no time exploring its boundaries, moving into an upbeat groove with Page really doing some work and Fish locking onto a catchy rhythm. Trey sounds particularly good here, and even when they wander back into the chorus of the song they still take the moment to stretch out a little more and get contemplative and blissful before closing things out. A very encouraging start, both for the song and for the set.

Twist comes next, and this is an absolute mega-watt Twist, once again proving that when they take it deep nowadays more often than not it'll be a monster. And it nearly turns into one in the literal sense, as Trey digs out a particularly grotty tone and they give us a mutated version of the usual Twist jam (no Oye Como Va here), and before the song can peter out Page starts going to major key chords and the band follows him into a beautiful segment that starts picking up speed and really hits Uplift City in the final few minutes. Light makes its welcome 2015 debut, and this one is also a multi-segment winner, with teases of Manteca from Fish and Trey, Page getting in some clavinet work, a nearly calypso-y segment reminiscent of the great 8/7/09 version, and the (what I'm guessing will be) controversial I Know You Rider-esque jam in the final few minutes. Either way, it's a great way to close out one hell of an opening triptych.

The band then rolls into Joy (and complaining about a song that means that much to Trey after 47 minutes of high-class jamming is the height of churlishness, I am sorry), but lest you think they'd emptied all the gas in their improv tank, they confirm that Harry Hood's nigh-legendary 2014 was no fluke with another exploratory jam. This time around it's Mike that leads the band off the reservation, and Trey takes control and starts churning out some blistering solos as Page hints at The Dogs in his playing. It's not the longest improv segment, and they head back to Ye Olde Hood Jam soon enough, but it's hearty proof that the fourth quarter remains open for improvisation. Cavern and Zero are Cavern and Zero.

Final thoughts: An exceptional show, and a fine candidate for the best show they've played at Shoreline yet. Head to LivePhish, unburden yourself with your filthy lucre, and hit play.

This review was really hard to start, because this show left me speechless. This show was the perfect end to a great birthday.

Set 1: Unlike most people, I was perfectly content to get Line'd for the opener, because I personally like the song. After The Line, Moma Dance all the way to Undermind are typical set 1 fun energy building songs. There is nothing ridiculously impressing here, but all of the songs are executed very well. The highlight of this "Phase" of the set is the Kill Devil Falls in my opinion.

Free->: This third "phase" of the show is where the band starts to really pick up the steam and get hot. Free and 46 Days bookend a ghost pepper spicy hot Reba that is an absolute must hear. As hot as this Reba is, don't sleep on Free and 46. If these three songs were a burger, the bread would not be conventional white bread.

Set 2: As everyone on MTV cribs ever would say, "This is where the magic happens!". Blaze On all through to the last note of Cavern is IT. The Blaze On's second showing featured a rock and rolling jam that cools off in to a slightly demented psychedelic landing pad, that would ultimately lead to being the band's take off strip for the rest of the night. With a very Fukuoka-esque segue, the band slides in to Twist. The songs proper, is a very high energy version (unlike Fukuoka) with very precise harmonies by all members. To start the jam, Trey dips his toes in the crystal clear water by playing some very familiar but patient Twist licks. This goes on for about a minute or two, before Trey goes back to the end of Blaze On dementia theme, with a dirty coal covered growl like guitar tone. This jam has it all (as does the whole set), the grunge of a 2.0 show, the patience and interplay of a 1.0, and the mind bending psychedelia of 3.0 show. After an attempted ending by Trey, Mike keeps the fire going and they change keys in to a calm blissful stroll at about minute 10, that ultimately rockets off in to oblivion with some of Trey's new found Jerry like GD50 likes combined with some delay for a wonderful peak.

Segue in to Light seems very natural. The lyrics for Light almost put in to words what the band achieved with music in the last 5 minutes of the Twist before it. Also similar to Twist, this version is extremely high spirited, but starts deceivingly mellow. Personally I thought it would be the landing pad to cleanse their pallet. Luckily, I was wrong! It ventures in to a dark funky haze with multiple Manteca teases, then slyly changes keys in to an upbeat major romped reminiscent of the notable Dicks Light from 2012. Unlike the Dicks Light, this jam has no superstar. Every member contributing to a greater whole. The last few minutes of this jam, it seems as if they are almost all soloing with each other. This one is an All Timer.

Light segues nicely in to a sentimental breather, which is Joy. Although I am not totally crazy about this song, I was extremely impressed with this version. In a lot of ways, I actually feel that this song is the highlight of the show! You can tell that the band really meant every lyric in this song. It felt like they were talking to the crowd, themselves, and their fans as a whole. This solo just wraps this whole songs in to one giant musical smile.

Harry Hood is executed finely, as well as a unique interpolated beginning. The jam, starts with a patient bliss, as do most worth while hoods. This jam also features a somewhat subtle Reba tease that slides them in to a minor/major purgatory, before diving straight in to dark waters to build tension, before a very soft almost restart segue back in to familiar hood territory with a glorious ending!

Cavern a good version, with precise playing by the whole band, but seems to be an afterthought even as it as happening, when compared to the hour and 30 minutes of bliss that happened before it. This version is interesting, in that my favorite part of the song, is actually from the banter of the song concludes. Cavern ends, the crowd explodes, and Trey yells "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU" with more sincerity then I've ever heard him speak with, let alone anyone.

Encore: Zero'd. This is a raging zero! Nuff' Said. Just listen to it. Way above average but nothing crazy.

Call me crazy, but I think this show could be released as a live album, and get some traction even with the general public. Similar to albums like A Live One or NYE 95'. LISTEN TO THIS!

The reviews that mention that these jams were "I Know You Rider esque" or "similar" to The Wheel are just wrong. These are straight up, out and out jams of these songs and there is no other way to describe them. Im not sure that the band could honor The Grateful Dead in a more respectful manner. In classic Phish form they have done the songs the ultimate justice without stepping on the toes of The Grateful Dead themselves or their faithful fans.

Kudos to the boys for once again keeping us on our toes and making us always pay attention. I, like many others, thought it was a foregone conclusion that they would bust out a few Dead tunes in light of the fact that Trey just played Santa Clara with the Fare The Well band a month earlier and that they were playing at, literally, the house that The Dead built. Well done gentlemen, we'll done. You have once again blown my expectations out of the water and reaffirmed that you just never know whats gonna happen at a Phish show.

I'm just going to review the Reba, because I think it's the best jam from this show.

I'm not sure, but I'm inclined to think that the tempo on this one is just a tad faster than it has usually been for Reba in 3.0. In any case, the composed section starts out with a few minor flubs from Trey - the kind you only notice if you're really listening for them - then recovers nicely and remains mostly clean up to the jam. In particular, Trey almost nails the section between 4:58 and 6:10, which has given him a lot of grief, it seems, in this era. At 6:24, Page forgets to play a chord, which sounds odd, but reminds you that Page, too, is human. At 6:36 we're off. Trey noodles nicely and fluidly up until 7:52, when he plays a sour note, and then plays another at 7:58. However, he picks the momentum back up at 8:00 as Page moves to the Rhodes, and plays some more nice, fluid licks. Frankly, if you played me just this section of this Reba and didn't tell me the date, I'd be inclined to think it was a mid-'90s version. Anyway, at about 8:32 Page moves back to the piano to play some more substantial chords, as Fishman starts making more use of the cymbal, and we're headed to the peak. At 9:55, Fishman tries to go for the peak, but Trey wants more tension. No hurry to rush the peak on this one, as Trey continues to play fluid and vaguely tense licks throughout the eleventh minute, before the jam finally peaks at 11:19, then again at 11:30, then ends at 11:40. The whistling ending is flubbed to no end, as Page tries to go into the final chorus too early on the keyboard, but nobody sings, and then Trey attempts to save him by singing over the rest of them, but it doesn't work. They laugh it off, though, and end the song finely.

All in all, this an excellent Reba. The composed section is above-average, and the jam is excellent. Trey's playing in this jam is some of the most fluid I've heard in 3.0. There are no moments of searching, no aimless bent notes to kill time, no crutch licks. Trey is playing on themes all throughout, not licks; this is perhaps the most distinctive feature of his playing, and is beautiful when well-executed, as it is here. Now, it's no machine-gun guitar playing, but this is about as fluidly and creatively and quickly as I've heard Trey play in quite some time. The two peaks are huge, and well-deserved after a strong and patient jam.

First, I want to say that Platinum Green Crack is some great weed for listening to music at a show.

I brought three friends to the show.

I was busking on the street one night, and this harmonica player walked up, intruded into my song… I left the lyrics behind, and we embarked on a journey. Anybody walking by burst into dance, and our corner was grooving. We hung out for a few, played some original songs for each other, bonded like brothers, shared info and that was that.

Fastforward to yesterday evening. My friend who was going to fly out had fallen ill, and she called the Shoreline box office and entrusted her tickets with me. I called and texted around. My girlfriend doesn’t like Phish, and I didn’t want the extra ticket to go unused. I recalled this harmonica player, realized it was fun hanging out with him before, so I texted him, and he joined on on short notice.

When I went to pick him up, his two roommates decided to join us as well, although I couldn’t promise them tickets. No problem, though. When we arrived, they found tickets easily and without hassle. Face value.

We drove down to Shoreline blasting Larry Coryell’s Earthquake at the Avalon. The CD has many highlights, but the final track, “The Dragon Gate,” contains probably my singular choice for desert island guitar solo. Music of the gods.

We got our tickets, used the restroom…. When at the urinals at Shoreline, you can really sense that this venue was made for the Grateful Dead. Stare straight ahead into the wall, and the pattern there might cause a tripping person to see cosmic variables of all kinds of shit. I can’t explain it… it’s designed that way.

We got food and beer, went up to the lawn, and found the best sounding spot, and although we couldn’t see the band, the lights were awesome (Karuda was on all night!). It wasn’t crowded, not too smokey, and there was plenty of room to enjoy the music without bumping into anyone.

The first set was a special kind of warm up set.

They weren’t pushing energy so much as emanating that inherent flow… Everything was played with patience, and rather than trying to force the music to be good, they allowed it to be whatever it wanted to be.

The Line was notable for the band’s unity of intent. Moma Dance surprised me, as I’d begun to think it one of those “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” songs. The groove was deeply streamlined, smooth, colorful, dynamic, intensely interesting. Other than that, it didn’t transcend standard Moma Dance form.

[I’ve seen a lot of Moma Dances. Not as many as someone on tour might have seen… Recent versions had sounded stale to my ears, perhaps. Doesn’t matter… it’s in the eye of the listener, if that makes any sense. I wasn’t prepared to enjoy a Moma Dance… and yet, here’s a version that said: “Fuck you, Feeouttacontral! I’m still a really likable and respectful song.” I pointed this out to my friends at the end of the song, and we had a laugh.]

Kill Devil Falls was also in this groove… the groove permeated the entire show, actually. Technically, the song was perfect. Artistically, the song was wonderful. Energetically, there was room for a little more life, but they played this one with their lives, so they seemed to decidedly forego a little of the “show biz virtuosity” in favor of allow the energy to arrive on its own terms.

Yarmouth Road continued on this superb groove. There’s an addition of a small jam added into the middle of the bridge that, in my opinion, makes the song work a little better for me.

I want to take a moment to mention… the sweet spots of shoreline amphitheater…. when it sounds good at that place, there are few venues that compare. That’s how music should sound. So clean, balanced, beautiful.

I’ve been going to Shoreline since 1990, and it always sounds so good to my ears. It seems they’ve upgraded the speakers, and this was really, in my opinion, one of the finest sounding Phish shows I’ve ever attended.

Undermind was a little less rhythm-heavy than usual (saved for the essential song-form of 46 Days, later in the set), and was clean fun.

Free came next, and the drop off after the intro right when Trey prepares to sing illicited excitement, gaining more crowd approval than usual. The transition into the jam is when the show’s energy sprouted its wings. Enter the funk, and the band passed through the doorway between merely good music and something else entirely. Although the song didn’t transcend any unusual territory, the communication among the members of the band, the originality of the ideas, Page’s sophistication of colorful chord choices, the rhythmic interplay….. The band enters deeper into the zone.

Mike solos. This is a good time to mention that Mike Gordon is back. In Fall 2014, during the Bill Graham run, his bass was quieter than usual, and he didn’t seem to have that interested aspect.

By contrast, as great as everyone in the band is, Mike took the MVP title last night by a long shot, in my opinion. He’s on another planet, when it comes right down to it. All four guys are, but Gordo has taken his instrument to a new level of excellence.

Reba was next, and although Trey was slightly flabby through the song, the overall experience was that they are really deep in a groove, and they definitely brought something special to this version. Namely, that incredible mix, the deep an exhilarating groove that they’re in, and fantastic interplay. The composed section was full of life and did not come off as a technical exercise. And the jam that followed was pure, flowing beauty. Nothing more. Nothing less.

46 Days was a great set closer. In the Phish tradition of turning the energy up towards the end of the set, the energy was indeed increased. Tastefully, they didn’t rise above the context of the set, and they really made the most of every moment here. The peak was beautiful. The band weaves their lines and phrases with eloquence and brilliance, choosing sounds and textures that add to the music and not to take away from it.

Great set with limited replay value.

Among my friends, 2 were at their first show, and were blown away. The third was attending his second show and loving it.

Setbreak.

NOTE: If you’re ever jaded about something you love, bring some noobs. You’ll find out if you still love it or not, and if you do, you’ll appreciate even the things that disappoint you, should you find yourself self-centered and stuck.

Second set began with the second performance of Blaze On. The intro sounds just like a Little Feat song. In this version, Fishman’s beat was less “Party Time” and deeper to the essentials of that groove. The lyrics are still fun, and I’m actually impressed by Tom Marshall’s recent work.

Singing about “the messiah” is still a kinda weird matter to sing about. But it’s a call to all to not get too big headed and start thinking you’re something other than the ordinary human being that you are. NMRK. (Those who are awake know that they are ordinary human beings, and are therefore able to have a higher capacity of appreciation and respect for others, in my honest opinion).

Blaze On was notable in that, in its second performance, it was used as a type II vehicle, and they brought us into the level and pure land of sound. Trey worked some echo effects, and the jam had a decent arch overall, but it was used mainly as a setup for the Twist that followed.

This Twist is the first “must-hear” selection of the show, going deep into brilliant territory. I actually like this better for my tastes than the fantastic Twist from last year’s Bill Graham stand (10/28/2014), and may well be my favorite jammed Twist of 3.0. It had it all. Great interplay throughout the musical conversation, shades of light and dark, a blissful disposition, and a great sense of purpose that never yielded. And when all was said and done, they turned a corner and slipped into Light, which felt a lot like a continuation of the jam that had just “ended.”

I’m not going to overindulge and speak about the Light jam at length. I’ll just say that when the song proper was done, they wasted no time before turning away from the usual cliche-jam that usually follows Light and dove back in to continue with the 30+ minutes of musical exploration that preceded it. The quality of jamming didn’t diminish in the least.

Eventually, the music arrived at Joy, and although some grumble, it’s not a bad song. The words are meaningful, Trey sings his pain, and it was executed better than nearly any ballad performed in 2014. And when I got past my own preconceptions, and opened my ears and listened to what was being conveyed, I found it all very listenable and enjoyable. And Trey ripped the hell out of that solo at the end.

Hood came next. And this was another in this new tradition of awesome type II Hoods. The intro was handled with patience; in fact Mike and Trey faced off for some dueling, and Page and Trey, and Mike and Fish…. they took their time and made awesome on this. Words were fine, composition handled with grace, mid part of Hood was exactly what you want it to be (and you know you do).

And then the jam.

They started this one in standard Hood chord progression, with Mike and Trey building rainbows in sound, and then advanced in great Hood fashion…

then they dropped off the Hood map and went to the outside, building up something truly hypnotic and wonderful, and, stepping away, allowing Fishman to play through on an act of faith, and rematerialize the elements that brought this Hood to a triumphant conclusion. Cavern rounded out the set, and Trey hit words and music with great power. Further, the between verse mini-solos were not mere blurps of 1 and 2 note phrases. This was Trey in the zone, bringing heat to every twist and turn, and stands as the most enjoyable Cavern I’ve witnessed live.

A great, formula Character Zero closed out the show in the encore zone. The beer and weed had worn off for the most part (I stopped partying at set break…. designated driver duties), and at least 2 of 3 friends were converts, with 1 telling me that, if I decide to drive to LA today, he will help fund the trip. I’m still here in SF, enjoying my first lazy day in a long while.

I see a resemblance in the first shows of tour and the order of a baseball batting lineup. The first couple batters are designed to get on base and get things moving, the 3rd and 4th slot are for clearing bases and knocking the ball out of the park.

After two shows of injecting new songs into the catalog and shaking off side projects (fare thee well & MGB) the guys came out loose and confident.

The 1st set is solid all around. A nice extra slow Yarmouth road with some extra Trey at the end. A intense pounding Free. A Reba that almost sounds more 1.0 in the solo section than 3.0. All surrounded by solid versions of songs with little to know flub.

The 2nd set has it all. It showcases the craftsmanship in creating a setlist. Most likely aided by coming out the gates with Blaze On a song that got a very positive response in Bend and it is obvious the guys are in love with this song.

Blaze on drifts off a little bit but is closely controlled by the guys.

Twist is a key song to segue into and it was smooth. What is interesting about this jam is it literally drops into type II. At the show I was confused wondering when we left Twist it's just that good of a transition.

This is the point where I say you can thank Mike for the jams.

Mike's bass was turned up loud and it's a good thing because he owned this show. After the first part of the Twist jam Trey attempted to go back and finish twist but this turned into a mere tease when Mike would not let off his bass line and Trey went with it. This happened during all the jams of the night Mike held on to it and ran with it.

The second part of the Twist jam was just pure Trey bliss.

Trey as usual plows into Light and the song itself is played extremely strong. And quickly pulses into another groovefest jam effortlessly which goes into a quick "I Know You Rider" type jam. A total nod to the bay area guys almost like a snapshot of an old western story from long ago.

Joy was amazing most people hate on Trey ballads in the middle of the jam set and I often agree. But you could tell this was special and meant to be and gave a degree of emotional texture of the set that paired perfectly.

Every Hood since Hollywood 2013 has been fantastic and this one is no exception. After some great interplay in the beginning the guys move back into a little groove after the Mr. Minor section only to once again steer perfectly into the Feel Good About Hood Section.

A little cavern after? Yes please.

I'm not one for a Character 0 encore but Trey exploded and nailed it and almost led to the whole venue burning down the place towards the end. It was the rush that every encore should be.

I think jsauce found the words that fail me when trying to describe what happened in set 2. Not many folks know that Shoreline is built to the likeness of a Steal Your Face when viewed from above, but nearly everyone in attendance understood that they were standing at the very point of the lightning bolt.

Shoreline has not seen energy like this in a very long time and the House That Jerry Built was alive in a way I'd never seen.

Set 2 is why we see Phish. I love the way the music BREATHES right now. So much open, breezy space in the sound they're putting out, exploring little subtle corners that never get discovered when they're full-steam-ahead at 10,000 RPM. This is not your barn-burner, someone get a hose before this place burns down Phish - it is inquisitive, patient, wide open and psychedelic down to the damn definition of the word. That Twist>Light could not be more down if you dug a hole and crawled right into it.

FIRST, I'm sure we've all had this experience: Leaving the venue having just had your head BLOWN OFF by what, you are sure, was one of the greatest Phish shows ever. Then you listen to the recording a while later and think, "Geez, I mean, it was good, but not nearly as good as I remember." And that's fine. The whole reason we go to shows is to experience the extra wattage that goes along with seeing something go down in person. And if that makes us a little overgiddy in our assessment of how great the music was at the time of its playing, then that is a fair cost to pay. Still, it can be a little deflating. Like you were tricked or something.
And so it's weird that I find myself writing this sentence: This is the first time I've ever relistened to a show I attended and thought it was better than I remembered. I say this specifically about Reba and the entire second set. Three of the six songs played in the second set had monster jams which were thematically and (I'm sure) quite intentionally linked. More on that later.

SECOND, I'm also sure that anyone who bothers to find and read reviews of phish shows on this website does not need any sort of primer on the relationship of Phish to the Grateful Dead or how those two bands (or parts of them) have interacted, especially recently. A central tenant of listening to either band is as follows: if you want to hear a tease, then you're going to hear a tease. That having been said, if you don't hear the fingerprints of the Grateful Dead all over this second set, then either you're not listening or you have some sort of agenda. While I wouldn't go as far as Samsarra did in the review above, more or less insisting that a correct labeling of the show include a Wheel jam or a Rider jam (I think "tease" is more appropriate), those elements are clearly present, especially the latter. The China/Rider break shows up in Blaze on and again, even more prominently, in Twist; the Wheel is also in Twist; and a more straight-ahead Rider sound happens on the back end of Light. To my ear, it's Page who is leading these attacks.
Twist is probably the jam of the night for me, but one could make an argument for any of the songs in the second set, save Joy. Light features some really great interplay by everyone, especially Page and Trey. They break out in a very positive, uplifting jam and then switch to something darker, back and forth, back and forth. Around 9 minutes, Trey switches things to solidly major key and seems content to have things stay there for a minute, only to change his mind at about 11 minutes. Here he tries really hard to push things back into a darker minor key, but Page simply isn't having it. Mike seems content to listen to them battle it out. Around 13 minutes Page finally wins and things settle into the key of D major. And it's at this point that Rider sound is most complete and present, before finally drifting off. Beautiful music.
With all of the ballyhoo surrounding Trey's appearance at Fare The Well, and all of the speculation about what this might mean for Phish's summer tour, especially starting a mere two weeks after the final FTW show, I would say Phish did things in as Phish a way as possible: They paid solid homage to a band who was clearly a big influence, at that band's home venue (or one of them). And yet, they stopped *just* short of a true jam or a whole song. I'm sure they were quite aware of the speculation. You can almost hear them talking backstage, being like, "Listen, bros. Everyone is expecting us to do some Dead shit, so what we're going to do is, we're going to do it, but we're going to fuck with them. We're going to walk right up to the very absolute edge of the cliff, so close they can taste it, and then we're going to turn around. And then everyone is going to argue about it after the show and on the Internet."
And so here we are. I personally loved it. I thought they honored the Dead while still keeping the show solidly about Phish music, which is what I paid to see. Very skillfully executed. Very Phish.

FINALLY, to the extent that you believe the term "ripcord" made its way into the Phish 3.0 lexicon at the hands of one Ernest Joseph Anastasio III, then to the same extent do you need to vote that man the MVP of pretty much every recent show. Trey's the leader. It's his renewed patience that is allowing the jams on Blaze On, Twist, Light, and Hood to develop and not be squashed because he got nervous or bored or confused or whatever.

This is Phish 3.0 at its best: you're not going to get your brain ripped out of your skull anymore, but when things are clicking you're going to hear some very inspired music that will take you some great places. If you let it. If you're on the fence, go see a show. You're going to miss them when they're gone.

I love positive reviews, and I love Phish. But to suggest that this show is in contention for best Shoreline ever is just too much of a reach. '97, with its first set Ghost / YEM; it's Runaway and Mike's Groove (not to mention the Ya Mar, the McGrupp)....

Well sure, there is de gustibus non est disputandum and all that. But still. Yes, this is all subjective. But when the 'subject' is Phish, some songs are just better than others; and some shows will forever standout. I loved listening to this show, like most, but primarily because the band is tight; Trey's tone is so warm; and Fish is Fish. But I cannot imagine it remaining this highly rated.

It makes sense to get excited about seeing Blaze extended; I think the song lends itself to sonic exploration in ways that Fuego doesn't permit. To me, the extended Fuego's play more like deliberate attempts to 'jam,' as opposed to ideas that arise out of 'true' jam vehicles. I felt that way about No Man's instantly; in fact, I would have loved them to open the other night's second set with the tune.

Even the Simple from the other night. What used to be such a Trey-driven song, meanders about with some cool interplay between Trey and Page, but you could easily take the post five minute prettiness and insert in any of the numerous Chalkdust or Disease excursions from last year. Fish, who has been awesome to watch, seems impatient, with great rolling syncopation. Then, at the 12 minute mark, when things get truly interesting and genuinely Floyd-esque (some Obscured By Clouds sound; akin to those great 'Echoes' licks from S.B. last year) the tune just dissipates.

Twist (On) with its Blaze On phrasing and teasing was a blast; it reminded me a bit of the Antelope to close CMAC last year - totally underrated, in my opinion. Just great musicality and musicianship on display.

Here's to more of the same.

I'm curious to see what happens with Hood this year; a return to the transcendent peak - which was hinted at here - would be welcome for sure.

I saw they were coming to town and thought that this would be a good "first rock concert" for my daughter who is twelve.

We sat up on the lawn and I think the fans were totally nice and energetic and friendly as I expected.

When the music started I thought "this sounds like a reggae set". It was very very chill and grooving versus the phish I remember from about 20 years ago.

The only song I knew was Free and it was good. In the second set my lack of song knowledge and the general lawn atmosphere made it seem like one nice long jam with various riffs/lyrics punctuating the middle from time to time.

My daughter got tired near the end and took a nap during one song, but overall she liked the show and said "thanks for taking me" the next day. I may have spoiled her for other bands' Shoreline concerts she will end up going to over the years.

The more rocking Cavern and Character Zero were a great way to snap everyone to life and energize us for the next time.

Seriously, all four were IN IT last night and the whole was of course much more than the sum of the parts. You know the highlights, I won't belabor. I did hear some Rider in Light (and maybe even a touch of China Cat first?) but I'm not hear to argue over whether we notate that. Also thought they were going into Sneakin' Sally in the 8 minute mark, but alas not to be.

Have read the reports of the stream and I was on the aisle in a section with similar nonsense going up and down the aisle all night. (Oh shoreline, still love you.) Drunk screaming, so much talking, bad singalonging and someone yelling the drum fills "RRAT-TA-TABATA-BADADADATAAAA". Oh well. A sweet pregnant lady next to me regulated on talkers and in return I velvet roped our aisle to the best of my small adult man abilities.

Absolutely worth a listen and absolutely worth a crazy trip. All praise be to the Mrs. @ontape and the little Ms. @ontape for doing Bend with me and letting me split off for this on my way home.

Trey's energy at the end of the night... Wow. Summer's coming in, winter's going out of style!

Looking forward to hearing this one after reading a few reviews. A 15-song show! Always enjoy Noob's write-ups, but I must point out that Light was played in Miami. I try to resist the urge to head to LivePhish until a tour is over and the top shows have fallen into line, but I'll probably break down and snag this one right quick.

I wasn't there, but I streamed the show thanks to some awesome audience member who was taping it.
First set was relatively normal, nice funky Moma and a high-energy KDF. But nothing super special other than Reba. It had a great jam segment and definitely stood out as the highlight of that set. I'm not going to review each song individually because I don't have a lot to say for it.

Second set was one of my favorites of 3.0, so far. Blaze On, a newer song but one I thoroughly enjoy, got a nice jam treatment. Pretty type 1 the whole way through, but it was awesome to hear an extended jam on a song the second time it was played. Got somewhat spacey and darkish near the end. Twist comes and is a Type-2 MONSTER. Very dark, yet still keeping a good groove. The jam was all around dirty (in a great way) and explored some far-out territory. And then they keep the great jams going with Light, also somewhat dark with a nice, long jam segment. The boys were clearly tightly-knit with each other. I don't love Joy, so nothing to say here. Hood had a nice jam treatment too, got a little dark at the end with a bit of Type-2. Just a nicely played Hood. And, Cavern, of course, had some awesome energy and was very straight forward but well-played. Character zero, typical encore song.

Both band and crowd seemed to take a few songs to sink into this one, but once Reba dropped, it felt like everyone took a deep breath, and we were off. It was a fun blur the rest of the way. I took my time leaving, just staring at the big, lit-up Shoreline tent, and feeling pretty damn good about Hood.

This was my first show, after a slow lead-up from learning about Phish because of Fare Thee Well, diving in with a list of "best of" jams and shows, and coming out the other side as the Phish fan that I am today. I can solidly say that it was somewhere between Blaze On and Cavern that I really started to fully get it.

To be real, I don't remember very much of the show, I just remember the experience of dancing on the lawn, watching the sun set, looking at the lights, and just grooving with the music. I had heard so much about how modern Phish was SO BAD - they can't jam anymore, Trey just ripcords everything, Mike isn't audible, Fishman is past his prime, Rage Side is now Age Side... but within a few minutes of the show starting, I realized that I didn't need to care about the grumpy musings of a 20+ year fan who is trying to relive their glory years. This was Phish, and this was good.

Let me be real - the music of Phish is intensely psychedelic, incredibly groovy, and immensely deep. It's an ocean. And the four guys standing on stage today have been doing it for years and years and years. They know what they are doing.

I would check out the Free and Reba from set one, but the rest of the songs are pretty standard. Kill Devil Falls stretched a bit, too, but not much. Standard ain't bad, but if you've heard a The Line, you've heard most of 'em. Also, as a side note, this was the first time I had heard this song and I do actually remember thinking, "Well... this is okay, I guess." The general disdain for that song might actually stretch beyond the grumpiest of grumps. I'll give Moma Dance a special shout-out for being the first song to get me really grooving and making me realize that it's all good, the moma dance eventually, gotta ride it while I can.

Blaze On is fantastic, stretching out for awhile before landing back in the chorus. Twist emerges from the space like an ooze, and it meanders around some delicious space before the Light comes out and cleans it all up. There is a perceptible I Know You Rider jam here, that even I caught while listening. (comedic side note: I thought "Free" was a Morning Dew cover. That's how much of their music I knew going in.) Joy was a great landing spot, and let us all ballad around for awhile, before we all got to feel good with the hood. I remember watching the glowsticks fly during the beautiful build and thinking, "Isn't that dangerous?" before picking up some that fell near me and sending them flying. Danger be damned, it looked pretty. Cavern was the icing on top of the cake, but it did cause a guy near me to get sad because "NOOO! IT WAS ONLY FIVE SONGS!" - something I got the significance of later. In fact, coming out of the show I realized, "Hey, that was... six songs. Isn't that good?"

Character Zero just about brought the whole place down. A Zero is a Zero, but a Zero is GOOD if you're ready for it. It's like a Tweeprise, except with less Tweeprise and more Character Zero. It's not going to change much show to show, but it's always going to burn the place down and it's time to dance, so GET TO IT!

If I were a spry 18 year old, I would have quit my job the next day and followed the rest of summer. However, I'm not, but I did nearly drive to LA. Someone had an extra on my way out they were trying to give away... if only.

This second set is a keeper. The first set is... kind of a keeper. It gives musical context for the second set, at least.

Could do without the line opener. Basic moma and KDF. My first time hearing yarmouth live so I enjoyed that. I heard the opening to underimind and got very excited, i seemed to be the only one though. Undermind contained some great drum solos from fish. Free built up nicely. Reba killed it, I didnt hear a single mistake but when your at a live show, the lights and the people around you can distract you from hearing those small flubs. Reba was type one but had the strongest peak in years. The lights had finally synched up with the band on this one. 46 days was a rocker and complimented the earlier songs nicely. The only reason this is 3 stars is bc the song choices are bland. Blaze on, 2nd jam type two, when the spot lights shined on the audience yoy could see over 100 people letting out a hit. Just beautiful. Spacy jam, right up my alley. Twist was up next, another type two jam in twist, very fun and the crowd was into it. Light, ANOTHER type two jam in light. Can hear rider, wheel, and manteca teases. Joy was a nice cool down. Hood, always a good place for hood in 2nd sets, whats this? Another type 2 hood? Beautiful. Cavern and zero were good rockers to compliment the first set and the amazing peaks tonight. Good show. Will relisten soon. Now its time for inglewood

Im a fan of Blaze On, good to see it extended a bit. Twist had a solid peak, which I think was the first of the tour outside a song's primary structure. Light had a fun and upbeat jam, reminded me of a segment of the Randall's Chalkdust from last year. Hood went type II and got a bit dark, while nothing really amazing happened I always enjoy a Hood that goes out there a bit.

From a listening at home perspective I found the second set to be more than worth my time.

Donate to Mockingbird

Contact Us

The Mockingbird Foundation

The Mockingbird Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Phish fans in 1996 to generate charitable proceeds from the Phish community.

And since we're entirely volunteer – with no office, salaries, or paid staff – administrative costs are less than 2% of revenues! So far, we've distributed over $1,000,000 to support music education for children – hundreds of grants in all 50 states, with more on the way.